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Re-imagined materials: Future Heritage Markers

What happens when materials and making process are hacked, repurposed and reimagined? Find out at this years edition of Future Heritage Makers at Syon House

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As part of London Design Festival 2018, renowned critic and curator Corinne Julius brings together a group of practitioners who are pushing the boundaries of materials and making. This years edition of Future Heritage Makers, shown at Syon House in Decorex International 2018, questions how objects are made and what happens when manufacturing processes are hacked, changed and reimagined. The diversity of materials and works on display show a plethora of approaches to creating art and design.

One such approach is to appropriate a manufacturing process from another industry. This is how the free-standing glass lights entitled Neonworks, which resemble hand-drawn squiggles, are made. Designer Jochen Holz’s practice revolves around lampworking – a process which is predominantly used to make scientific equipment. The repurposing of this technique leads to original forms in which the thick borosilicate glass tubing takes on a new character that is far removed from the white coats and mysterious chemical combinations of a science lab.

Another way the exhibition understands how materials can be re-imaged is through the creation of new tools. James Shaw, a London based designer, has created a plastic extrusion machine which he calls ‘making guns’. These guns allow him to squeeze out plastic like cake frosting from an icing tube to build pieces that range from terrines to tables. His collection Plastic Baroque is made from high-tech polymers. The strangely shaped objects are new exaggerated forms that can be viewed as a 21st Century version of baroque.

Francesco Feltrin’s Dip Casting series is also brought into being with the creation of a new tool and process. The designer, who has recently graduated from the Royal College of Art, London, examined the standardized mass-manufacturing processes in the ceramic industry. Departing from this, Feltrin has created a new mold that uses dipping as opposed to the traditional pouring techniques. This allows for the building up of many layers of different colored clay to create small vessels. In this new technique, the pieces can be mass-manufactured however each piece remains unique in its appearance and surface resembling a hand-made object.

Living in the Anthropocene by Jie Wu takes a radically different approach to objects, focusing on the combination of different materials to reflect upon the impact of man-made materials on the planet. The designer’s collection of miniature boxes bring together disparate materials that are either natural or manmade. Wood is paired with resin to create marble-like patterns which reflect the clashing contrasts of our modern world.

Other exhibitors in the show include ceramicist Kaori Tatebayashi, multidisciplinary studio Glithero, metal-smith Rebecca de Quin, experimental designers from Studio Ayaskan, Katrin Spranger, glassworker Karlyn Sutherland, textile designer Alison White, jewelry designer Marlene McKibbin

Future Heritage Makers will be on display at Syon House until September 19

Future Heritage Makers
James Shaw, Plastic Baroque Side Table 2013, Photography by Paul Plews
Future Heritage Makers
James Shaw_The Plastic Extruding Gun 2017, Photography by Paul Plews
Future Heritage Makers
Rebecca de Quin, RdQ Vase with Blue collar
Future Heritage Makers
Francesco Feltrin, Dip Casting
Future Heritage Makers
Francesco Feltrin, Dip Casting
Future Heritage Makers
Precious box by Jie Wu
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